Just found out today that I've been 'identity-thefted'... someone has all my data and tried to buy $9000+ of software on my dime. Once of the SW vendors thought it looked a little flaky to have a Texas billing address and a Canada ship-to, so he called me (the thiefs gave him my work number!) to verify. We talked a bit and he just laughed... said they have all my stinky. He's sending me all the info they gave him. Now I gotta do all the 'start-overs' with new cards, accounts, etc... The bitch is not knowing where they got it - I thought I was pretty cautious. Just a heads-up!
We have a major problem with that out here.. I make sure to burn everything that comes in the mail with my name on it, instead of throwing it away. They get the info from the trash most of the time, or steal mail from the box. Also they can get it from the net sites you visit. Its really fucked and usually youre on the hook for the shit they bought. I'd find their ship to address and take a trip up to Canada. It'd be worth it to give them the thrashing of their life.
I too was the victim of mail theft and ID theft lately. I guess I got my mail going to my new address a little too soon in connection with a move I recently made and the sorry SOB stole a box of checks from my mailbox and started passing them all over town and then applied for credit at about six places in my name. They made some stupid mistakes and are caught big time. The authorities are going to prefer federal charges against them on the mail theft. Fortunately I'm only out the time it takes to deal with it so far, mainly signing the affidavits and sending them out. My credit union absorbed the cost of the 1st 4 checks before it was discovered and the merchants are taking it in the shorts on all the rest, but it is still a major hassle. I wanted to get the guy's head up against the wheel of my 57 Ford and kick his face in until it was plastered against the back of his fucking head and I'm a very nonviolent kinda guy. This stuff should be a federal crime everytime.
[ QUOTE ] I wanted to get the guy's head up against the wheel of my 57 Ford and kick his face in until it was plastered against the back of his fucking head and I'm a very nonviolent kinda guy. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, we can tell you are - remind me NOT to piss you off!! This kinda crap screws everybody, since the merchants that took it in the shorts are just going to turn around and raise prices to cover their losses. Ditto for the insurance companies.
a BIG problem is the businesses that do not check ID for the checks they take, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE if the don't! but good luck trying to enforce it. i was a victim of check forgerys, by someone very close to me, after all was said and done, even with the person, admitting the crime,themselves, willing to go to court to testify, etc, it STILL took me over a year and a half to get cleared in court, and some i never did get cleared of. there was NOTHING pointing to my responsibility. you should have seen some of the SHIT checks people would accept, they had been mutilated, top left corner torn off to as not to be able to read the name and dl# etc. and they still took them without id.
I also had a credit card number that some hacker had stolen from my system, and tried to use. The only way I found out, was when the credit card company called and asked if I wanted to increase my limit! Whoever was trying to use the number was trying to purchase $10,000.00! worth of car parts!! They had already made several purchases, but I was able to prove to the credit card company that it was not me buying the stuff, and they reversed the charges. The secret is, DO NOT STORE your card numbers ANYWHERE on your computer. My number WAS stored on a memo pad, in case I lost the card. DO A FULL SEARCH OF YOUR COMPUTER TO SEE IF YOUR CARD(S) NUMBERS ARE ANYWHERE ON YOUR SYSTEM!!! REMOVE THEM!!! Also, keep your limit low, just in case.
also clear your CACHE/Delete cookies/internet temporary files immediately after doin an online transaction......
[ QUOTE ] also clear your CACHE/Delete cookies/internet temporary files immediately after doin an online transaction...... [/ QUOTE ] what does this even MEAN, and how do I do it? online transaction, does that include ebay? help would be appreciated Briggs
As a former police officer and current Fraud Analyst with Sprint PCS, I deal with Identity Theft 24/7. Some of the main things to remember are: NEVER carry anything with your SSN# on it. Unfortunaly here in KS. The DMV places it on your Drivers License unless you specifically request that it be removed. I have even gone so far as to request having my SSN# removed from my Health Insurance Card. (good luck with that...I am still in the process) Never give any personal information out over the phone (especially an unsecured line, ie, mobile phone or cordless phone) or the computer. Never write a personal check to someone that you don't know. Most of the time people have their personal information on their checks. ie. name, address, DL# SSN# and home phone #. Needless to say, whoever has your check, now has your routing number and checking account number. ALWAYS shred any documents that you are disgarding that may have any personal information on it. In the good ol' days of crime, all a criminal had to do was to go through a persons trash can to find personal information on someone. Now Identity Theft has progressed to the point where anyone that has access to your personal information, has the ability to abuse it. Most of our suspects now are found to be working at hospitals, banks and mortgage companies. Nice, Eh? Check at least once a year with the 3 credit bureaus and have a credit report run. You are entitled to a 1 free credit report per year. The 3 main credit bureaus are : Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. If you need phone numbers to these companies, let me know and I will give them out. If you have been a victim of Identity Theft make sure and tell them (in writing) that you would like a Fraud Victim Alert Statement placed on your credit report for 7 years. If you don't specifically request this, a alert will automatically be placed on your credit report for 6 months and then removed. Give the credit bureaus a contact number where you can be reached at so that if anyone does make and inquiry on your credit, you can be contacted to verify if it was you or not. *****AND last but not least, if someone contacts you and states that you have been a victim of Identity Theft and would like for you to verify your personal information with them....DON"T DO IT!!! Have them give you a contact number and call them back to verify that they are indeed who they say they are.
Very good advice and I apologize for my earlier outburst. After seeing the size of the guy on the video Wal Mart had of him buying tires with my checks, I probably would have beeen the one getting his head kicked in. This has been an infuriating experience and you feel very violated when its happening. I guess the law will deal with this guy now and luckily in Texas, you are not held responsible for forged checks.
Clint B, that was good advice, well stated. What makes me nuts about id theft is that very often nothing happens to them after (if ever) they're caught.Usually probation or county time. I'm in court a couple times a week and I see the travesty the court system is, and the way victems are treated. As Spicoli said "We need some new cool rules, pronto".
We have the same kind of problems trying to get law enforcement to assist in prosecution when Sprint PCS is the victim. Law Enforcement used to see ID Theft as a paper crime and that there was no REAL victim. Fortunatly they are starting to come around. If you can't get the police to prosecute for the crime, take it to a higher level. Whether it be the Chief of Police or the District Attorney. They enjoy being pestered.
What was the Canadian address?....if its in Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Police have a branch of the fraud squad for that kind of crime...that may help....or maybe some HAMBS north of the 49th could do a little 'investigating'......with chains and a baseball bat (God, did I just say that?) bgbdlinc
Here's one for you guys. We caught an employee stealing ssn's, bank info from one of our customers and using their bank account to pay off his car insurance, buying computers from Dell, etc. We turned huge amounts of evidence into local sheriffs and they said they can't do anything to him unless he did it to more than one person because they were too backed up in that department.... So we fire the guy and we have to pay his unemployment...
briggsstrattonchevelle-you click on the 'chevron' like stripes next to your favorites.a drop down will apear click tools another dorpdown appears-click internet options. the screen will come up allowing you to click "delete files" after you do that you also click the box with "offline files" and then go to the bottom and click "OK". Do ths immediately after a purchase online or a visit to paypal etc . also set your history to just clear itself every day.
I don't think any of you want to hear my long-winded opinion on this subject, but there is one thing my career has taught me in regards to your "personal information" (SS#'s, addresses, credit info, phone records, etc,) and that is this: It is all for sale (cheap). Privacy has left the building.
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